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Adrian I
Adrian I, born Adrian Matthias Felipe Van Damme (2 June 1580 - 24 November 1649) was the fifth King of Brunant from 1611 to 1649. A career soldier, he was best known for his reforms to the military early on in his reign. Biography Early life Adrian was born in 1580 to King Willem I and his wife, Maria Cristina de Figueroa (daughter of the Spanish 2nd Duke of Feria). The prince joined the Royal Guard in 1599. Seeing the might of naval warfare, he petitioned his father to introduce a navy, but he would not do so. Adrian was posted to coastal defenses and oversaw the modernization of Brunant's aging castles. Reign In 1611, he took over as King of Brunant from his father, who had died. One of his earliest acts was to introduce a navy to Brunant, with the acquisition of the Koningin Marie in 1613. Adrian was considered a just and fair ruler, but was involved with implementing several quite harsh policies. He heavily supported the Brunanter Inquisition, and was a major opposing force to the Protestant reformation in Europe. While there were only few protestants in Brunant at the time, he used force against them, to the point where the inquisition would persecute more protestants than Jews. With the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War, King Adrian committed Brunanter troops to serve under the Spanish, with his eldest living son commanding troops. They first saw action at the Battle of Wimpfen in May 1622, subsequently at Höchst and the Siege of Heidelberg and Mannheim. Despite the victories for Brunant under Spanish-Austrian leadership, many Brunanters died due to to the antiquated tactics and over-reliance on pikemen and heavily armoured knights. From 1623 to 1627, he embarked on an ambitious military reform that saw musketeers and artillery units appear in the military, to play a larger role in future conflicts. Adrian was a heavy spender, as he lived in luxury and spent a lot for the nation. The king enjoyed hunting and archery. The king became a lavish spender and spent large sums expanding Grijzestad Palace. By the end of his reign, the country was slowly on the decline, with diminishing fortunes and discontent among the public. In 1638, a revolt broke out over lack of bread for peasants and responded with the Royal Guard, commanded by his eldest son, though he slowly lost public confidence. Later reign The death of his wife left him grieving heavily, and he spent a month secluded at the Sint-Willemstad monastery. Adrian then left much of day-to-day rule to the crown prince and his various ministers. The King died in 1649. The king and the arts The king was a major supporter of the arts, and commissioned paintings by Claus Vanderote and others as prince. While king, he turned his attention to sculpture and helped fund many sculptures for his residences. Personal life First marriage In 1600, Adrian was married to Philippa of Saxony (1582-1608), a German noblewoman. According to Adrian's initial thoughts of her, she was "rather ugly, tall and broad" and "not nimble enough for love but hardy for child-bearing". This was a purely political marriage orchestrated by the couple's parents and the pair were never in love. With Philippa, Adrian would have four children: *Maria Anna (1601-1633) *Christian (1603-1616) *Maria Alexandria (1606-1608) *Elisabetha (1608-1699) Second marriage Philippa died in childbirth in 1608 and Adrian was quick to remarry. On 3 January 1609, he married Francesca de' Medici (1588-1638), of the wealthy Tuscan Medici family. It is presumed that he and Francesca had been in love since 1608. The couple were married at St. Peter's Church in 1609; they would have a largely happy marriage. The pair had nine children: *Willem Alexander (1609-1663) *Francesca (1611-1670) *Amalia (1613-14) *Augustus (1615-1629) *Johannes Philip (1616-1701) *Barbara Elisabeth (1617-1712) *Augustina (1619-1629) *Martina Andrea (1621-1680) *Frederick (1623-1703) Despite his commitment to his wife, Adrian was believed to have fathered five children with other women, most famously the actress Constance Clarence. Francesca died in 1638 and Adrian would not remarry. He died in 1649, at the age of 69. Ancestry Category:Dead people Category:Elements on the Thaler Category:1580 births Category:Monarchs Category:Military personnel Category:Dukes of Middleton Category:Princes